1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to delay timing devices, and more particularly to delay timing devices that can be easily adaptable, if desired, to adjust the time delay.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pressurized gas, smoke and percussion canisters are sometimes launched by riot police and military personnel into an area or building to force occupiers or protestors to leave the area or building. Sometimes, it is desirable to delay activation of the canister a few seconds after deploying it to prevent detection and to give the riot police and military personnel sufficient time to install face masks or to evacuate the target area. The desired time delay for activation of the canister may vary according to many factors, such as the nature of the gas composition in the canister, the location and distance the target area or location is from the launch location, the number of occupiers or protestors, the size and shape of the area or building, and urgency for occupiers or protestors to leave the area or building.
There are different manufacturers of gas canisters which use a top mounted plunger style, canister valve assembly that must be activated in order to release the gas contained inside the canister. Typically, the gas canisters are manually activated by a plunger and then thrown towards the desired target. When activated, the aerosol gas inside the canister is immediately released and completely dispersed in 2 to 10 seconds. As the canister is thrown, smoke or aerosol gas is released. Also, if the desired target area is far away from the launch site, a large portion of the smoke or aerosol gas may be dispersed prior to reaching the target area.
What is needed is a delay timing device that can be used with a standardized pressurized gas canister used by riot police and military personnel. Such a device should be simple to operate and use mechanical components controlled by pressurized gas and not mechanical springs, electrical components, or batteries. Such a device should be relatively small and compact, relatively inexpensive and can be selectively attached or detached to different canisters. The device should include a simple design that can be easily adjusted for different time delay periods.